Provincial Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is a major responsibility of school boards under both The Education Act, 1995 and The Trade Union Act.

Bargaining with Teachers

The Education Act, 1995 provides for bi-level bargaining with teachers.

Items negotiated at the provincial level are:

Salaries of teachers

Allowances of principals and vice-principals

Sick leave

Superannuation of teachers

Duration of the provincial agreement

Group life insurance for teachers

Criteria for employees being designated out-of-scope

Any other matter ancillary or incidental to the above.

More information on the legislative framework is available by clicking here. Also, as a result of a memorandum of agreement arising from the 2000-2002 Provincial Collective Agreement, a committee was established to examine good practices and dispute resolution. The Joint Committee on Good Practices and Dispute Resolution issued a report in December 2002. The Committee made a number of specific recommendations in the report for considerations by the parties.

Items negotiated at the local level by individual school boards are:

Sabbatical leave for teachers

Educational leave for teachers

Salaries for substitute teachers

Pay periods for teachers

Special allowances for teachers

Duration of the local agreement

Any other matter ancillary or incidental to the above.

The Education Act, 1995 allows additional matters to be bargained at the provincial and local levels if agreed by both parties. Either party has the right to refuse to negotiate an additional matter. Local agreements may not contain provisions that are matters for provincial bargaining, and no agreement can contain provisions for the selection of teachers, course of study, the program of studies, or professional methods and techniques.

The Education Act, 1995 prohibits negotiation of the following at both the provincial and local levels:

Selection of teachers

Courses of study

The program of studies

The professional methods and techniques used by a teacher

Collective bargaining is a problem-solving process. Both board members and teachers are focused on the same goal – the best education possible for all students. There may be differing perspectives about how to achieve this goal. The solution to the problem is arriving at an agreement that puts children first and that both parties feel good about.